Abstract

The rapid growth of China’s outbound tourism market has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. However, the academic literature is still sparse in this area. Using a theoretical framework that synthesizes the key processes related to destination choice, the authors undertake a systematic review of the academic literature on outbound tourism from China. Stemming from this review, the paper provides some direction for future empirical research on this important topic. The authors also propose an episode model for travel planning, suggesting that traditional destination choice models may inadequately capture the nuances of destination choice in the Chinese context.